Karim Diané On Playing First Full-Blooded Klingon Main Character Since Worf In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Karim Diané plays a Klingon with a unique vibe in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s first two episodes premiered on Paramount+ to an enthusiastic reception from Star Trek fans.

As Jay-Den Kraag, Karim Diané plays the first full-blooded Klingon main character in a Star Trek series since Michael Dorn, who portrayed the iconic Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Picard season 3. Jay-Den enrolls in Starfleet Academy’s medical track, which is unusual for a Klingon.

ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley interviewed Karim Diané, along with his castmates Zoë Steiner and Bella Shepard, at Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s press junket. Diané discussed meeting Michael Dorn in person for the first time, and hypes the “different spin” Jay-Den Kraag brings to the Klingons. Read Karim’s quote below:

Liam Crowley: Did you get in touch at all with Michael Dern about playing a Klingon? And beyond that, what makes your Klingon a little bit more unique than what we’ve seen before?

Karim Diane: For sure. I met Michael Dorn for the first time a couple of days ago at the Rose Bowl in person, and it was so cool. And we just immediately clicked because we have that shared experience. It’s really just me and him as main characters in Star Trek who are Klingons. So we know what it’s like to go in and out of that makeup on a daily basis for years. I studied him a ton, watched a ton, all of the Worf episodes. I had that backdrop going into the character.

But I think him, and as well as the fans that I’ve been talking to online, have encouraged me to make it my own. It’s been really cool to add a different spin on it. Jay-Den is very unique. We’ve never seen a Klingon like this one, but yeah, I love him.

Watch ScreenRant’s interview with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s cast below:

Karim Diané and Tig Notaro represented Star Trek: Starfleet Academy at the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. George Takei and Rebecca Romijn joined them on the Star Trek float, but Diané also had a face-to-face Klingon summit with the O.G., Michael Dorn.

Star Trek‘s social media revealed the challenging process Karim Diané undergoes to become a Klingon. Along with Michael Dorn, Karim also consulted with Doug Jones, who played Saru on Star Trek: Discovery, about playing a character encased in prosthetics.

Jay-Den Kraag seeks to be a healer in Starfleet, but this is logical, even for the Klingons. In a race of proud warriors, there have to be healers in the Klingon culture as well, just as there must be scientists and engineers who build their starships like the Klingon Bird-of-Prey and D-7 battle cruisers.

Though Karim Diané, the Klingons also return to the spotlight for the first time since Star Trek: Discovery‘s widely-disliked redesign. Jay-Den Kraag returns Klingons to their most popular look, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy opens the door to exploring the state of the Klingon Empire in the 32nd century.